Snapshot
by FoxLoreCreations
Summary: Noctis had a role to play. They all did. What happens when the depended upon future king is given the opportunity to travel to previous events in order to play things through differently? It could become too much, upon realizing these sweet indulgences never last. In the end, the story has already been written. The king of kings was always meant to pay the ultimate price.


Moody. Self-indulgent. Irrational. Sometimes too eager. Most of the time not eager enough. Clumsy with a strange sense of selective grace. Shy. Righteous. Awkward. Surprising.

These were all statements that would successfully describe the future king, for any who had known him long enough. Noctis Lucis Caelum, heir to the throne of Lucis was many things, but thoughtful had never been first in the lineup of vocabulary one might use to describe the young man.

At least, not in the mind of his retainer.

The change had been sudden, so sudden in fact that the possibility of a doppelganger had briefly crossed Ignis's mind. It was during their journey to Altissia when it happened. It was a day like any other, the sun smeltering hot and air so humid it was difficult to take in a full breath. For this reason, the four chose to stay in a hotel for the evening, much to Gladio's protest. They'd been traveling for days when they initially heard the news that the ferry would not arrive. The jeweler, Dino, was positive he could hurry things along, though they all had questions as to the honesty of a man so willing to blackmail his future king. Still, they had no other option for the time being.

That night as they sat on the dock of the Mother of Pearl, it happened. Ignis would never forget it, the slightest twitch and furrow of Noctis's brow as he was flipping through photos Prompto had taken that day. There was something present in his cerulean eyes as well, like a distant memory, something from his childhood perhaps that stung him. His expression seemed to have gone unnoticed by the other, but as someone trained to observe his every movement since childhood, Ignis couldn't have possibly missed it. No, Ignis had seen that look before. It was undeniably raw, a wound so deep within the prince that he would surely be devoured by it. But what was it…?

Ignis watched him, observing the subtle signs he'd become all too familiar with. The distant look, accompanied by a subtle clench to his jaw, and a single hand falling to smooth over his pants leg. It was one piece of vital information that most neglected to realize about the future king. Though he could come across as apathetic, aloof in the most dire of situations, inside he cared too much. Whatever this was...it was going to eat him alive, and Ignis needed to catch it before it got out of hand.

"Pretty good, right, Noct?" Prompto, who had missed the signs, asked eagerly. The familiar voice seemed to have tugged Noctis back to reality from wherever he'd gone to, and he set the photo back down, though his eyes continued to linger on it. He was undoubtedly studying it, trying to work through a puzzle.

"It's pretty nice…" Noctis replied softly.

Ignis craned his neck a bit from his chair, doing his best to not make it obvious. He was curious, what photo could possibly illicit these emotions from the prince. When he saw it however, his own expression grew confused. To his knowledge, there wasn't anything strange or emotion-inducing about it.

It was a photo taken from the night before where they'd camped a few miles away from the coast. The night was clear, not a single cloud blocking view of the stars. At first it didn't look like there was any subject matter, save for the sky, but then he noticed the outline of himself and Noctis. They had simply stood together in silence, eyes fixed on the view. Ignis recalled getting sucked into the scene, as it reminded him of precious times they would sneak out as children and teens to stargaze together. He missed those times dearly, not that he would openly admit it now. It was a nice still shot, but still, it didn't quite warrant the spike of anxiety he felt from Noctis.

Prompto seemed contented enough with the simple compliment, a boyish grin curling his lips as he pulled the photos back toward himself, flipping through ones he'd undoubtedly already studied many times that evening with pride. Ignis watched him, then flitted his eyes to Gladio who had been snoozing in his seat, then finally to...oh.

Noctis' eyes were fixed on his own, cerulean meeting emerald with such intensity that it shot electricity from the tips of his gelled up hair to the ends of his boots. But what? What emotion was Noctis trying to relay to him? What was it that caused such a look meant just for him?

The prince stood suddenly, giving a lazy wave of the hand toward his friends as he turned to head for the room. "Turning in for the night." He said simply, and as always, Ignis found himself standing automatically to follow. It was a habit he'd developed around the age of twelve upon realizing that his young companion had begun the pattern of wandering off alone. At first he followed out of worry for himself, as he'd gotten into trouble a number of times due to his position of needing to keep tabs on Noctis at all times. Eventually it grew into an embarrassing level of fondness and curiosity. Then, finally, settled into his own enjoyment of merely appreciating his company while wanting to remain by him as long as time would allow. They'd even grown into friends, stemming from necessity and eventually looking to one another as companions.

"Big day tomorrow, I don't advise you stay out too much longer." Ignis cocked a knowing brow at the blond male who notably had a late night binging habit. Prompto gave a playful pout at the accusation, though it was short lived as Ignis stepped away. Whatever playful jab the older male received was lost to him. There were more important matters to attend to.

By the time he stepped into the room, Noctis was seated on the edge of their bed, watching Ignis with an unreadable expression as the door clicked shut. It wasn't uncommon for them to share a sleeping space. There were many instances when both were younger that Noctis would sneak into his bed after a particularly nasty nightmare. Once that fateful incident happened, however, the one that left its hefty reminder along the prince's back, these visits grew more and more infrequent until they'd eventually stopped altogether. Ignis had to admit, he missed those innocent nights together. Now it was a matter of convenience. Prompto was the smallest among them, Gladio the biggest. It simply made sense for them to be paired as they were.

"Noct?" Ignis questioned. He was starting to grow weary. Noctis had been waiting for him, clearly, by the expectant expression he wore. Something must have truly been bothering him.

Chest expanding on a breath, Noctis finally dropped his eyes. "...Wanted to talk to you." He said softly.

Lifting a brow, the retainer stepped over to sit beside his prince. "To what do I owe this cryptic meeting?" Ignis asked with a playful note, trying to lighten the mood a little. It must have worked, because Noctis shook his head with the faintest of smirks.

There was silence then, followed by an awkward shift as Noctis turned to look at him, the expression in his eyes stealing Ignis's breath for a moment. Noctis was striking in his own right, especially when he allowed himself to be vulnerable. It was a fact that Ignis had come to realize years ago in their teen-hoods. One that had caused him turmoil, and nearly drove him to neglect his duties as unwelcomed emotions seeped in.

Suddenly Noctis reached out quick enough to make Ignis jump as an unexpected touch smoothed over the tender skin along his left cheekbone, just beneath the frame of his glasses. Ignis froze. There was something unreadable, unreachable in the way Noctis gazed at him.

The younger man's eyes drifted to inspect his face as his fingertips, feather-light, continued to touch along his features in a way that made his heart lurch in his chest. For a moment Ignis had to silently question if he had mud across his cheek, from the way Noctis seemed to trace it as if following an invisible pathway. It was like he was studying the details of his face for the very first time, or looking for something that should have been there, but wasn't. The touch was innocent enough, though with each brush of skin upon skin Ignis swore there must have been scorch marks left behind to lick at his sensitive skin. It was only made worse by the fact he only had the moonlight from the window to illuminate Noct's otherwise shadowed features, adding on to the dreamy tenderness of the moment. Noctis' lips curled into a slow, almost devious sort of smirk. "Are you blushing, Specs?"

Shit.

Ignis cleared his throat, pulling his eyes away from Noctis and reaching up in false effort to fix his glasses up onto his nose. The fingers that had been on his face dropped away at the same time, leaving with them a ghostly tingle. Ignis opened his mouth to speak, though before he could get anything out, Noctis spoke up once more.

"All joking aside…" Noctis began in a tone Ignis recognized all too well. It was one he used when standing in the face of adversity, voice dripping with an absoluteness that reminded those around him of his heritage. "I just wanted to say...Thanks, Iggy. For everything this far. I can always depend on you to be by my side."

Ignis turned his gaze to meet Noctis's once more, unsure of what to say. Such thoughtful words were rare to leave the prince. "Thus is my sworn duty, Highness. But might I ask, what brought this on so suddenly?" He questioned, only to be met by a slight shake of the head. Noctis kicked his boots off before scooting further up the bed and rolling onto his side to face the window away from him.

"Was just thinking is all. I've had a lot on my mind, and I figured you should hear that. I'm tired." Noctis replied quietly, retreating back into himself as he often did.

That was the end of their talk that night, and as usual, it didn't take long before Noctis's breathing grew deep and his frame heavy once he was laying down comfortably. Ignis had no idea what had just happened...but it set him on edge, regardless. In his youth, he'd dreamt of Noctis looking at him that way, touching him so affectionately, speaking so sweetly that it made his heart stutter. But he'd locked those feelings away long ago. For one, Noctis was straight, to his knowledge, having never shown interest in his own sex before, or really any thoughts regarding the matter. They all knew of Ignis's preferences, sure, and from time to time Gladio and Prompto would gently prod at him to try and discover his type...but never Noctis. Noctis was always bored when they subject arose, at best. Then there was Lunafreya. Even though the prince tried to play their relationship off as casual, and Ignis had to press him on more than one occasion to reply to her messages, there was obvious affection there of some sort. Most importantly, though, was the fact that this wasn't just Noct, his friend. This was Noctis Lucis Caelum, the future king. This was the he boy he'd sworn his loyalty to, his life to, and would one day become official adviser to. Those feelings were strictly forbidden and had no place in their relationship.

Ignis thought back to the photo. What was it about that picture to bring this about? He knew if he pried, the likelihood of receiving a straightforward reply was nearly unheard of. The most likely outcome to pushing Noctis, he'd learned over the years, was that the boy would retreat further into himself, emotions barred behind lock and key. No, this was going to have to wait. He was going to need to be patient. What had brought about such thoughtful, meaningful words?

Perhaps time would give him the answer.


End file.
